Sunrise Citrus Pancakes

Who doesn’t love waking up to freshly made stack of pancakes? What if those pancakes were lightly scented with vanilla and citrus, topped with a thick rich citrus peach compote. Do I have your attention yet? Read on as you will see how this delicious breakfast can come together in minutes.

Rich, buttery, citrus perfumed and peach sweet. Those are the words one of my friends has said about these pancakes. One morning at the campground it was my turn to make breakfast, and I had a few oranges and some lemons in my trailer along with a bag of frozen peaches, on the spot I created this recipe and I’m excited to share it with you now.

I love frozen peaches, they are pitted and cut into the perfect size pieces. If there is one cooking chore I honestly dislike doing it is pitting and peeling peaches. I always end up destroying that poor peach. But the convenience of frozen peaches removes all my anguish. Also, having a bag of frozen peaches with me in my trailer helps keep my freezer cold.

A Family Citrus Ranch

I grew up walking our families citrus tree orchards. Hours on end I would happy and contently walk the rows when the orange trees bloomed. If you have never driven past a blooming orange orchard, you need to! If you live in California or are traveling there send me an email at Kate@thecampgroundgourmet.com. I will share some of my favorite orange lined roads for you to drive down.

I would wander around my cousins 30 acre orchard in Ojai, California every year in April. I’d pick a few blossoms and add them in my canteen of water, as that water sloshed back and forth the natural essential oils would release flavoring and perfuming the water. One year I took that water and because I loved the scent so much I poured it in my hair so I could smell orange blossoms all day long. But what I had forgotten was that scent attracts bees. My cousins had a beekeeper place bee hives throughout the orchard one to pollinate the blossoms and two orange blossom honey is delicious. Once I realized the bees were swarming me I ran out of the orchard and jumped into my cousins pool with all my clothes on to get away from those bees. Lesson learned.

Citrus Facts

According to Sunkist, Christopher Columbus brought citrus to the new world on his voyage in 1493.

Citrus fruits are high in antioxidants, which is believed to slow the aging process.

They gave rations of oranges to British soldiers on long ocean voyages to prevent scurvy. Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, so the high vitamin C content in oranges makes them perfect for preventing the disease.

The vitamins, fiber, and minerals in oranges have important health benefits. Citrus contains soluble fiber that helps the body to clean its self of excess cholesterol. Vitamin C, Vitamin A and potassium are key in a balanced, healthy diet.

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The Changing Seasons

Citrus plants and trees all over the world, from China to Chile, Australia to Spain, the United States and England. Many types of citrus have adapted to all environments. Wonderful Citrus is a website based around all things citrus. This is an interactive page, you can choose the type citrus and see which months it is available. I promise you will find a delicious orange, grapefruit or finger lime to satisfy your cravings.

Can you remember a time gone by where the Christmas orange was in your Christmas stocking? I can tell you that orange was so important to children because in the cold winter months bright and delicious citrus was not available. If you didn’t live on the west coast of America, you did not find fresh citrus at your grocery store. That’s how companies such as Sunkist became the King of winter fruit distribution. Being a member of a citrus growing family, guess what my family grew some of those oranges you might have received. See, my personal connection to you through food is getting stronger and stronger.

Enjoy this bright and tasty recipe I’ve created for you, aside from a pancake topping this compote is delicious over; peach ice cream, waffles, grilled chicken and pork. Experiment and add in a cinnamon stick or a star anise while the compote simmers away. The possibilities are endless, cook great memories!

In a large pot, grate the rinds of the oranges and lemon. Squeeze the juices and remove any seeds. Do not strain.
Add in thawed frozen peaches and their juice to the pot.
Add in the sugar and stir well.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Cook until the syrup concentrates and becomes thick.
Do not cover the pot while cooking.
Add in the vanilla once you remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature
When cooled, ladle into clean jars and keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
Can be stored in the freezer for 6 months.